Good Morning America welcomed Mike Huckabee to the big leagues of presidential politics this morning by uncorking a 90 mph fastball at his head. With the help, naturally, of the truth-seeking missile that is Brian Ross and His Investigative Team, GMA featured the story of a woman whose daughter was sexually assaulted and then murdered by a convicted rapist who had earned an early prison release thanks to then-Arkansas Governor Huckabee.

The woman believes her daughter would still be alive if not for Huckabee's involvement in rapist Wayne Dumond's early release and told GMA she will do "whatever it takes" to make sure Huckabee does not become the next president, adding that she "can't imagine anybody wanting somebody like that running the country." Unless this problem can somehow be disarmed with another Chuck Norris commercial or topical, mildly amusing one-liner, Huckabee's ascent could start experiencing some turbulence.

How's he handling it so far? For starters, Huckabee has tried to run away from his role in Dumond's 1997 release: "I should be held responsible for the things I did. The one thing I didn't do is let him go." While technically true—the Arkansas parole board freed the rapist—the Arkansas Times reports that Huckabee essentially used the board to carry out his desire to free Dumond. Several members of the Arkansas parole board told the paper that Huckabee personally said that Dumond got a "raw deal" and strongly encouraged them to parole him despite their having voted twice against doing so only months before. Had the board not approved Dumond's release, the article notes, Huckabee would have been forced by state law to confront the politically uncomfortable decision about Dumond's fate himself just days later.

Huckabee has also stated that "None of us could've predicted what Dumond could've done when he got out." But "none of us" obviously doesn't include the Dumond rape victim who explicitly told Huckabee, "If you ever let him out, he's going to do it again."

Put it all together, and Huckabee could be on his way to Radar's PR/ER in short order. Possible Rx: rehab crappy morning-show cred through softball interview with Tiki Barber.